8. If you see something that looks like it doesn’t belong on the ATM or sticks out from the card slot, walk away. That’s the skimmer I attached to capture your card information and PIN.

9. Why don’t more of you call 888-5-OPTOUT to stop banks from sending you preapproved credit offers? You’re making it way too easy for me.

10. I use your credit cards all the time, and I never get asked for ID. A helpful hint: I’d never use a credit card with a picture on it.

11. I can call the electric company, pose as you, and say, “Hey, I thought I paid this bill. I can’t remember—did I use my Visa or MasterCard? Can you read me back that number?” I have to be in character, but it’s unbelievable what they’ll tell me.

13. Love that new credit card that showed up in your mailbox. If I can’t talk someone at your bank into activating it (and I usually can), I write down the number and put it back. After you’ve activated the card, I start using it.

Tips for avoiding these scams:Drop outgoing mail in nearest drop-off box or post office.Shred everything with personal info on it, including credit card offers.Use a post office box for incoming mail or someplace like Mailboxes, etc.Have your credit card notify you of any purchases over a certain amount. Make it a small amount because a thief will probably start small at first. Some of these might seem like a pain, but I'd rather do these than have someone steal my identity and deal with the consequences for years afterward.

Be sure to shred those blank checks that come with your credit card bills, too. We seem to get them almost every month now. The credit card companies keep trying to get us to use them, but it's a very bad idea - the interest rate on those is higher than your regular account and there's no grace period before the charges start!

I forgot to mention one more tip. Write "Ask for ID" in the signature blank on the back of all your credit cards. That (hopefully) will force sales personnel to require some other identification because the credit card isn't properly signed.

I never thought about some of those things nor did I used to shred mail till my husband insisted 13 yrs ago. Now I shred everything. Will have to start following some of the tips above too! Great info. & topic!